Latest to jump into the bandwagon of ultra-compact digital cameras is Pentax's Optio 330. With a 3x optical zoom and a powerful 3.34-megapixel CCD sensor, it brings together the best of the Digital IXUS 300 and Finecam S3 respectively into one device.
Weighing only 205 grams (not including battery and memory card) and measuring 92 by 59 by 31mm, it is smaller and lighter than the Digital IXUS 300. In fact, it is one of the smallest digital cameras available, second only to the tiny Finecam S3.
High-density packaging technology
According to Pentax, the small size and lightweight body of the Optio 330 is achieved through a super high-density packaging technology. Together with the use of a new aspherical lens mechanism, a high picture quality with minimum aberration can be maintained.
Also, Pentax claims that the Optio 330 is fitted with a new processing circuit that speeds up the starting time and reduces on the shutter release and playback interval.
Encased in a stainless steel body, the Optio 330 has a sleek but rather simple design. It comes with a built-in1.6-inch LCD screen (that is bigger than the ones on both the IXUS 300 and Finecam S3) and an optical viewfinder. In addition to the 3x optical zoom (equivalent to 37-111mm), the Optio 330 incorporates a 2x and 4x digital zoom, and has a macro focus range of 14cm to 40cm.
Like most other digital cameras today, the Pentax digicam can be used as a point-and-shoot camera in the fully-automatic mode. In the manual mode, users can choose from the various mode settings in exposure, flash, focus, white balance, exposure compensation and metering. The multiple exposure mode is also an interesting feature.
Besides capturing digital stills in resolutions up to 2,048 by 1,536 pixels, the Pentax digicam can be used to record movie clips (320 by 240 or 160 by 120 pixels) of up to 30 seconds at 15 frames-per-second (fps).
8%
1%
I have lost my instruction book for my Pentax 430.
Can you supply a replacement?